Oconomowoc couple accused of hogtying son have trial scheduled for Feb. 26

The trial for the Oconomowoc couple accused of hogtying their son before they went out to dinner is scheduled for Feb. 26. The man and woman stand accused of child neglect and strangulation and suffocation.(Photo: File photo)

An Oconomowoc couple accused of leaving their teenage son hogtied while they dined at a restaurant are expected to go to trial next month.

Court records show that the couple — who will not be named to protect the alleged victim's identity — will present their case before a jury Feb. 26 in Waukesha County Circuit Court.The trial had previously been scheduled for Dec. 12.

The couple was accused in February 2017 of child neglect and strangulation and suffocation shortly after the boy, then 12, told his school principal that his parents had taped him up and gagged him before going out to a Chinese buffet.

According to court records, that was not the only time his parents had mistreated him.

His 41-year-old stepfather had in the past used a rope to restrain him; hit the boy in the face; admitted to locking the boy in a bedroom; and called the boy "retarded, lazy and stupid," according to court documents.

Additionally, the victim's 42-year-old mother later reportedly tried to pressure the boy to lie during the upcoming trial, saying that if he did not, "she was going to jail," according to a separate criminal complaint. She is facing further charges as a result.

They could both face up to about six years behind bars and $30,000 in fines if convicted in the child neglect case. The boy's mother could face additional penalties on the subsequent charges.